Bale: A dream come true

Gareth Bale revelled in scoring the crucial goal last night as Real Madrid claimed the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid.

Bale netted in extra-time to put Los Blancos 2-1 in front after Atletico had taken the lead in the first-half. Sergio Ramos equalised in the final moments of the match before Bale turned the game on its head.

Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo later added to the score line and speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Bale admitted he was in dream land.

“This is what every footballer dreams of, winning the Champions League. It doesn't come any bigger than that in club football,” the winger said.

“It was an unbelievable feeling, it will be a memory forever.

“The most important thing for me is we worked hard as a team tonight and won the trophy and the 10th title for the club.”

Bale was asked if he felt he had justified the huge transfer fee Madrid paid Tottenham Hotspur for his services, but dismissed the question out of hand.

“The price-tag means nothing. If I came here for a penny, I came to the club to play in big competitions and win trophies like we have this season,” Bale said.

“The move has paid off now and we want to win more now.”

Bale commended Atletico for their resolve in defending the lead, noting that games between the city rivals this season have usually been tight affairs.

“It was a close game, especially in normal time. We've played against Atletico four times this season and every game is very close and very difficult,” he added.

“When they do get a goal ahead it's hard to break them down but luckily we managed to get a goal in injury time and that gave us the extra momentum.

“I think we've been showing that when we play our own football we win football games.

“It was just keep attacking, keep doing what we do best, and we all believed in that.

“I have learned from past experiences to keep going, to forget about the chances I've missed and keep persevering and eventually one will come.

“Thankfully I got a decisive goal and it gave us a lot of momentum going into the final 10 minutes.”

Bale also revealed his thought process as he prepared to head into Thibaut Courtois’ empty net, claiming the goal was made more special by the reaction from the Madrid fans inside the stadium.

“Do not miss, literally, do not miss,” was what Bale admitted he was thinking.

“It was great to see it go into the back of the net and the celebrations from the crowd meant everything.”

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La Liga - Club News